Philadelphia, Delaware, and Lehigh Counties represent three of the most heavily impacted areas for asbestos exposure in Eastern Pennsylvania, contributing significantly to the state's ranking as third in the nation for asbestos-related deaths.

Philadelphia County has recorded 1,345 asbestos-related deaths between 1999 and 2013, with a 5.9 annual mortality rate per 100,000 residents, largely stemming from the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard where veterans and civilian workers were exposed during shipbuilding operations. Also numerous industrial facilities including steel mills and manufacturing plants throughout the city.

Delaware County faces an even more severe crisis with the second-highest asbestos death rate in Pennsylvania at 12.2 deaths per 100,000 residents, attributed to legacy mining sites including the Gladwyne quarry.

The Lehigh Valley region, continues to grapple with asbestos challenges from aging infrastructure and buildings constructed during the 1960s-1980s building boom before asbestos regulations took effect, with recent discoveries at Lehigh University's Maginnes Hall and Chandler-Ullmann Hall in 2018 requiring professional abatement and highlighting the ongoing risks that renovation and demolition projects pose to workers and residents throughout the region.